Burn 500 Calories in 30 Minutes! Try These Exercises!

by Marixie Ann Obsioma, MT, undergrad MD on March 14, 2024
Last updated on March 14, 2024

Don’t worry, workout buddy: it’s possible to shed 500 calories with a home exercise routine in just about 30 minutes!

Burn 500 Calories in 30 Minutes! Try These Exercises!

As a seasoned remote worker and fitness enthusiast, I’ve had to come up with unique ways to burn calories at home. Here are some of my favorite ways to burn calories:

  • Running
  • High-intensity interval training (HIIT)
  • Cycling
  • Plyometrics
  • Stair climbing
  • Dancing
  • Housework
  • Workouts with only your bodyweight

In this article, we’ll show you how to burn 500 calories while working out at home by doing each of these activities. I’ll offer you step-by-step workout instructions!

Calorie 101: Calorie Burning Techniques

A calorie is a unit of heat energy when it comes down to it. To be more scientific, a calorie is the amount of energy required to heat one gram of water by one degree Celsius.

Calories are a measurement of how much energy the body needs to function, according to Medical News Today. Everything from breathing to physical exertion falls within this category.

BASAL METABOLIC RATE (BMR)

Even when you’re not moving, your body needs the energy to carry out basic functions such as breathing, circulating blood, growing and repairing cells, and creating hormones and enzymes. This is referred to as the basal metabolic rate (BMR) (BMR).

BMR DETERMINING FACTORS

The basal calorie burn is influenced by a variety of circumstances, according to Mayoclinic. This includes the following:

Body size

If you’re tall and bigger in general, moving your body around will take more energy.

Composition

Muscle tissue burns more calories than fat tissue since it accounts for more of your weight.

Sex

Men have less body fat and more muscle than women of the same age and weight, which means they burn more calories.

Age

As you get older, your muscle mass decreases, which slows down your calorie burn.

Calorie burn is influenced by a number of additional factors. This includes microorganisms in the intestines and hormones. According to some research, changes in your gut’s friendly bacteria can affect your resting metabolism.

In terms of hormones, leptin and ghrelin regulate hunger, while insulin regulates metabolism. Insulin, which is vital for glucose management, can also regulate fat metabolism, according to the Department of Health & Human Services, State Government of Victoria, Australia.

FACTORS AFFECTING ACTIVITY (EXTRA BURN)

There are other elements that impact how many calories you burn per day in addition to your basal metabolic rate. This includes the following:

Food thermogenesis

All of the steps your body goes through to break down and use food as energy, such as digestion and absorption, are referred to as food thermogenesis.

Activity

Working and cleaning are examples of things you conduct on a daily basis. Physical fitness is also a part of it.

This takes us to the matter that has been on your mind and for which you have come… how to burn 500 calories at home while exercising

Workout at Home to Burn 500 Calories

It’s time to start burning calories in the comfort of your own home (or neighborhood).

Unless otherwise stated, all calorie estimations are based on a 155 pound (70 kg) person engaging in 30 minutes of physical exercise. There will be notes on which exercises take longer than 30 minutes to complete in order to meet the 500 calorie goal.

Keep in mind that your body burns calories in a different way than other people’s.

RUNNING

Running and jogging are two of the most efficient calorie burners, burning up to 539 calories in 30 minutes at an average speed of 8.6 miles per hour (7 minutes per mile).

If you have a treadmill at home but prefer to use it to hang your clothes, you can overcome resistance to exercise by running while watching your favorite Netflix show.

Is there no treadmill? If the weather permits, go for a run outside to soak up some serotonin-boosting sunlight.

Interval running can help you burn more calories. This implies you go all out for a certain amount of time and then actively recover with a job or a walk. A decent place to start is with a three- to five-minute moderate-intensity run, followed by a 20- to 30-second all-out sprint.

In addition, research shows that running can better manage appetite hormones than walking if your objective is to lose or maintain weight. When compared to walking, you’re more likely to burn more calories than you consume when you run.

If you don’t like running, try power walking instead. Just remember that if you want to burn 500 calories, you’ll need to walk for longer periods of time.

HIGH-INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING (HIIT)

According to some research, 30 minutes of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) can burn up to 450 calories.

HIIT is a type of exercise that is performed at a very high degree of intensity for short periods of time, followed by a period of rest or easy recovery. The intense part can last anywhere between 15 seconds and many minutes.

Should You Do HIIT Every Day?, as described in the article, A typical HIIT workout consists of 5-8 exercises performed for 30-60 seconds each, with 20-30 second rest periods in between. The rigorous workouts put your body in anaerobic mode, which helps you burn more calories and fat.

HIIT can be done at home and includes activities such as biking, jumping, and running. Tabata is one of the many HIIT workouts available. A Tabata workout is exerting maximum effort for 20 seconds, resting for 10, then repeating the process for a total of four minutes.

CYCLING

There are minor differences in calorie burn when pedaling outdoors versus indoors, according to Harvard University. They estimate that a 155-pound person burns 260 calories riding a stationary bike at a moderate pace while burning 298 calories outside pedaling.

In a study on bike-based interval training, researchers discovered that if exercisers intersperse longer times of easy recovery in sprint interval training, they can burn up to 200 calories more in as little as 2.5 minutes of concentrated strong work. Increase your at-home incentive if you have a stationary bike.

PLYOMETRICS

Plyometrics can help you burn 500 calories in an hour, according to Health Research Funding.

Jump training exercises are known as plyometrics. These are exercises that require your muscles to exert maximal effort for brief periods of time in order to improve power, speed, and strength.

Because many plyometric activities demand strong ligaments and tendons, according to ACE Fitness, anyone incorporating plyometric exercises should already have an established training and strength regimen.

The shorter the labor period, followed by a lengthier rest interval, the more explosive or intense the movement. ACE utilizes the example of three reps or 10 seconds, with a 20-second or two-minute rest period. You may burn up to 10 calories each minute with this!

Lateral bounds, squat jumps, squat thrusters, box jumps, and plyo reverse step (or lunge) with jump are all examples of plyometrics.

CLIMBING STAIRS

In general, a stair stepper burns roughly 225 calories per half hour.

Climbing stairs is dependent on whether you have access to a stair-step machine or if your home or apartment has steps. You may also think outside the box and see if there are any public stairs in your area that you could use.

Workout with weights on the stairs as an added bonus. This will prepare you for real-life scenarios like hauling groceries home.

Set a goal for how many times you’ll go up and down the stairs, and vary your speed and how many steps you skip on the way up to keep your stair workouts interesting. It’s not a good idea to try skipping stairs on your way down because it’s risky.

DANCING

Dancing is a fun and sometimes surprising way to burn calories. Zumba classes, for example, can burn up to 225 calories in half an hour. Disco, ballroom, and square dancing burn approximately 205 calories each half hour.

However, you don’t have to go to a class or join a club to reap the benefits. Try a solo dancing party or get your roommates or kids involved. If you’re stranded at home, crank up the music and dance to your own beats, or watch a dance video.

According to the American Council on Exercise (ACE), dancing is a weight-bearing sport that can improve bone density, lower the risk of osteoporosis, improve muscle strength, and improve coordination and balance, in addition to its cardiovascular advantages.

It also has psychological benefits for many people because it is pleasurable and interesting. According to ACE, it can aid in the reduction of stress and exhaustion while also enhancing energy, attitude, and self-esteem.

HOUSEWORK

That’s right, you can burn a lot of calories while doing something helpful. It’s no surprise that performing housework makes you sleepy.

If you have access to a lawn or garden, these are great ways to get some fresh air, vitamin D, and a workout all at the same time. At 205 calories every half hour, mowing the grass is one of the most calorie-burning activities. Weeding and regular gardening burn approximately 170 calories each half-hour.

Cooking burns about 90 calories per half hour, while vigorous cleaning burns about 170 calories per half hour. Moving household furniture burns roughly 220 calories if you wish to rebuild or reorganize.

Spend more time with your children while also burning calories. Playing with them vigorously for half an hour can burn up to 185 calories!

BODYWEIGHT WORKOUTS

Do you lack the necessary weights or equipment at home? Don’t be concerned! Weightlifting, which includes using your own body weight, burns approximately 112 calories each half-hour.

It’s worth noting that the first calorie burn appears to be much lower with strength-training exercises than with the other activities we’ve studied thus far.

Emily Trinh of Fitbod explains in her post Can Bodyweight Exercises Be Done Every Day that you not only burn calories while training with your own weight, but you also burn calories afterward. Excessive Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption is to blame (EPOC).

This works because your body needs calories to restore its oxygen and glycogen stores while bringing your heart rate and temperature to normal. Your exercise should be more intensive to achieve a bigger EPOC effect.

Bodyweight workouts can also help you gain more calorie-burning muscle. Emily says that you can grow muscle with your own body weight, but you should focus on progressive overload, which means gradually doing more than you were doing before. This is the key to maintaining a high-calorie burn!

  • Increase the amount of weight.
  • Rest intervals are shorter.
  • Volume should be increased.
  • Variations of one movement should be performed.

Every Bit Counts

Adults should accomplish the following, according to the 2nd version of the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans:

  • At least 150 minutes to 300 minutes a week of moderate-intensity.
  • Or 75 minutes to 150 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity.
  • They should also do muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week.

The suggested level of activity hasn’t changed, but now even a small amount can help you reach your goal. Even a minute or two at a time can make a difference.

This quantity of exercise does not have to be completed all at once. The same may be said for achieving your 500-calorie burn target. You can combine some of the actions we discussed above to burn 500 calories while exercising at home.

Here’s an example of how you can burn 500 calories with daily activities:

  • 30 minutes of mowing the lawn = 205 calories
  • 15 minutes stair workout = 110 calories
  • Playing with kids 30 minutes = 185 calories
  • Total: 500 calories!

Keep Your Motivation Up!

The most important thing you can do is stick to all of the calorie-burning workouts listed above! This will be the most important aspect in determining your long-term success in achieving your objectives. It’s easy to become bored with your workouts or have life events interfere with them.

Here are a few pointers to help you keep your workouts going and get that 500-calorie burn!

  • Set Objectives
  • Make it a habit to keep track of it.
  • Make Time for the Things You Enjoy
  • Look for Accountability

Last Thoughts

If you want to reduce weight, it’s crucial to understand that there is no magic drug that is both healthy and effective. Physical activity and a well-balanced diet are the cornerstones of a healthy weight-loss strategy, as is eating fewer calories than you burn.

The American Dietary Guidelines suggest tipping the scales of calories in versus calories out by around 500 calories each day. This can assist in a weekly weight loss of roughly one pound. As a result, by incorporating these 500-calorie workouts into your daily routine, you’ll be well on your way to maintaining a healthy weight.

Just bear in mind that everyone burns calories differently and in various ways. The idea is to stay active and step outside of your comfort zone on a regular basis.

While there are other advantages to improving your fitness beyond calorie burning, if weight loss or fat loss is your aim, determining which activities burn the most calories and adding them into your calorie-burning workouts may be interesting. (By the way, all workouts burn calories since you need the energy to move.) Even just sitting there and letting your body perform its natural activities burn calories, but that’s a different topic.)

Because of their efficient and effective programming, these eight 30-minute cardio programs burn calories quickly. By incorporating these workouts into your daily routine, you can burn up to 500 calories every day. Bonus: Taylor Ryan, a NASM-certified personal trainer, designed each of the routines below to help you get results without spending hours at the gym.

You don’t even need to go to the gym to accomplish these calorie-burning activities (the same goes for these excellent YouTube workouts!). We’ve got a 500-calorie fitness plan for you, whether you want to work out at home, outside, in a hotel, or at the gym.

Did you realize that simply cutting calories doesn’t help you lose weight? However, expending 500 calories a day, combined with a healthy diet, can help women and men lose 6 kg (13 lbs) and 8 kg (17.6 lbs), respectively.

To shed one pound of fat, you must expend 3500 calories (500 calories multiplied by 7 days). For weight loss, a negative calorie balance (fewer calories in and more calories out) is required.

Is It Enough To Burn 500 Calories A Day To Lose Weight?

Yes, burning 500 calories each day is sufficient for weekly weight loss. You’ll need to burn 3500 calories to shed a pound of fat. If you burn 500 calories per day, you will have burned 3500 calories at the end of the week, resulting in a pound of fat loss.

For many people, losing weight is difficult, but keeping it off is even more difficult. Most people who lose a lot of weight gain it back two to three years later. People who reduce their calorie intake to lose weight see a decline in the pace at which their bodies burn calories, according to one theory.

Losing weight over a period of months becomes progressively difficult as a result of this. A slower rate of calorie expenditure may make it simpler to regain weight after returning to a more typical diet. Extremely low-calorie diets and quick weight loss are therefore avoided.

It is suggested that you lose no more than 1/2 to 2 pounds per week. Long-term lifestyle adjustments are required to boost the chances of long-term weight loss success.

Weight loss that is appropriate for a person’s height can have health benefits. Reduced cholesterol and blood sugar levels, lower blood pressure, less stress on bones and joints, and less effort for the heart are all examples of these benefits. It is critical to maintaining weight loss in order to get long-term health advantages.

References

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